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The U of A in the early days. Pembina, Assiniboia and Athabasca Halls. (Courtesy of the Pembina Hall archives.) Pembina Hall was built 89 years ago, in 1914. These brick and concrete walls have housed several thousand people over the years. Athabasca was first, built in 1911, followed by Assiniboia in 1912. Pembina is the 3rd oldest building remaining on campus, after her 2 sisters who are both still standing. Both were also built as residences, although they are currently being used as offices and classrooms. Pembina was designed and her construction was overseen by Cecil Scott Burgess (1870-2971). First were the female nursing students in the south wing, who shared the building with the classrooms and offices of the north wing, including Anatomy on 3rd floor, giving them the nickname of “the Morgue.” 1916 saw the young men who became known as the “khaki graduates” move in. (So named because of the army fatigues many of them wore.) In late 1918 Pem housed victims of the world-wide influenze epidemic, and in 1919 the Hall became the women’s dorm it had been built to be. It is rumored that during the epidemic a young nurse died following the death of her boyfriend or husband, and that her ghost is still in the building searching for him. Every year there are reports of experiences involving the ghost. Some men claim to have seen her, some simply have otherwise unexplainable experiences. However, there are no reports of any women having ever seen her. Pem remained a women’s dorm until 1941 when the Department of National Defense requisitioned Pembina, Assiniboia and Athabasca Halls in order to house men of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Approximately 300 men stayed in Pembina during WWII. After the war, Group Captain J. Hutchinson presented Pembina with the propeller which hangs proudly in the lobby. Use of Pembina was returned to the University, and it resumed being a residence for undergraduate women. The boys from the other two halls would raid Pem by coming in through the existing underground tunnels. One of their prizes after the war was the propeller, but that is not the only reason for the raids. When the first tower of Lister Hall was opened in 1964, Assiniboia Hall was closed and rewired to be used for offices and classrooms. Assiniboia and Athabasca were both closed in the early 1970s for safety reasons. 1974 saw Pembina also being threatened with closure and demolition. The building did not meet the safety standards of the day. She remained structurally sound, but was a fire trap. In the event of a fire, there were no stairways safe for exit and none of the doors would prevent fire from passing right through. The many layers of paint and varnish on the walls would rapidly go up in flames, spreading any fire very quickly. And the risk of fire was very high. The wiring was all old and frayed. There also weren't enough circuts in the building, and the women living here had to be very careful not to overload them, by using underpowered lightbulbs and very few electrical appliances. The plan was for all three of the old buildings to be torn down, and a new graduate student's complex to be built in their place. The residents were not about to let their home go without a fight. In 1964, Pembina had become a residence for senior and graduate women. Therefore, all women who lived here were mature students, over the age of 21 and with an average age around 30. They were not intimidated by the University. Successful lobbying on the part of residents and alumni gave Pem a new lease on life, and the building was extensively renovated. She needed entirely new wiring and plumbing, but unlike Assiniboia and Athabasca, Pembina was not entirely gutted. Because of her concrete frame, she had remained sound, while the other two had not. These renovations not only brought the Hall up to code, but also restored the building to her original magnificence. Between 1974 and 2002, Pembina was a co-ed dorm reserved for mature residents. While we remain co-ed, in September 2002 Pembina Hall was switched, becoming a residence for 3rd and 4th year undergraduates, as well as remaining a place for graduate students and those working on subsequent degrees. We've been promised by HFS that this should not change the atmosphere of the building TOO much, since most 3rd year students are at least 20 anyway. In December 1999, there was a fire in one of the rooms. Much to the relief of all the residents who were away for the holidays, the fire that burned for 3 hours never made it out of the room it began in. While that room sustained some serious damage, everyone became aware of how lucky we are to have our brick and concrete building. We now have proof that Pembina is slow to burn. That doesn't make the residents careless, however. While the building may be hard to burn down (but not impossible), the contents of the rooms are certainly flammable, and no one wants to see their hard work and their belongings go up in flames. Written by Stacey Bissell, June 2001. Update August 2002. Sources: Davic C. Norwood, The New Trail, 1974. Paul Davis, The New Trail, Autumn 1988. Folio, Nov 27, 1975. Vol 12, No. 22. Return to the main page. © 2001 Stacey Bissell